Gangs and Demons
by Asilin Kheldarson
Summary: In a gang-controlled town, a girl desperately wants to fight in a gang. But girls aren't allowed to fight. Now add the YYH gang...Rated for language and violence
1. Chapter One: Desires

Hey! It's BAAAACK! Lol. Okay, funny moment over. I've finally started rewriting this fic, and seeing as I have the first chapter done, I thought I'd see how I was doing. I did enjoy writing this as a self-insert, but I think this version is much better. But that's my opinion. And thanks to everyone who read the last chapter I posted of the original. I was able to save all the reviews; they give me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

By the way, I've made my own C-2 community. It's for original character stories, like this one, and I'm accepting applications for staff, or suggestions for stories to add. However, it doesn't seem to be showing up on the list yet, so I thought I'd leave it here: c2/ 9713/ 0/ 1/ . Yes, I know it's weird notation, but it won't save any other way. There's one space after every punctuation mark. Just delete those to get it to load. Anyway, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH. I own Fira, her friends, her family, and all the other gang members. My house is crowded right now!

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Gangs & Demons

Chapter One: Desires

The girl watched the fight with little interest. The lights from the highway flickered, casting weird shadows over the boys below her. She shifted slightly on the branch she had taken residence on. Glancing up briefly, she noticed that the moon had shifted yet again—another hour had passed.

She looked down with a sigh. It was turning out to be a long night. She held up a small notebook to the minimal light the moon and highway provided. 'According to my info, the Lions should've finished off the Cougars a while ago,' she thought. 'I guess the Cougars heard about the impending threat and decided to train a little.' She grimaced at the thought but settled back to watch the rest of the fight. Hopefully it would finish before she had to go home; she wanted accurate information on the fight results, not the rumor mill's version.

It doesn't matter what the time or place is; only characters are important in this play of life. Suffice to say, however, our girl is in a large city in modern America, give or take a decade or two. This city is like and unlike others in that it has gangs; however, these gangs pretty much run the city. True, they don't directly control the government or its affiliates, but they do control the citizens. This was the life Fira, the girl, was born into. And this was the life she wanted to be more involved with.

She had high hopes for the Lions, who had finally broken the Cougars main fighters and were working on clean-up at this point. They were more progressive than their fellow gangs: they allowed members of all races to join. Yet, even they weren't prepared to go the next logical step and accept a girl into their ranks as a fighter.

Fira smiled faintly as an old memory rose from the depths of her mind. At one time, it had been her brothers on the battlefield—the Sentō trio. Being the youngest and only girl, she had idolized her older brothers. She had followed them everywhere, even to their fights. Despite their admonitions, she had continued to follow them and would dream of the day she could join them. The youngest brother, Tyler, had taught her basic defense since she refused to stay behind. However, they all told her that "Girls don't fight!" and, beyond Tyler's basics, refused to train her further.

It was at that point that their mother died of cancer. Saying they were saddened by the death is putting it lightly. Devastated is a better way to describe it. Her father would drink himself to sleep at night, and the boys began to fight even more, going days at a time without returning home. Fira, on the other hand, grew angry at her mom for being weak. In her mind, her mother wouldn't have died if she had learned how to fight. So, seeing as her brothers refused to train her, she took her years of watching them and created her own training exercises. It was then that the Sentō trio died in a suicidal fight of the three of them against every member of the strongest gang of the time. Fira just took that as further proof that only the weak died. That was when she had not only increased her training, but had also begun to observe the different gangs in the area. It was no good to be strong physically if you weren't well-armed mentally.

The wind picked up suddenly, causing Fira's hair to fly around her face. With a snarl, she forced it all back and then put all of it underneath a baseball cap. 'I really ought to consider cutting the stupid stuff,' she growled mentally. She looked down at the remains of the fight. It seemed the Lions had decided enough was enough. Fira took note of the casualties. The Lions were suffering from mainly injuries, while the Cougars had lost nearly half of their members, including several of their strongest. With the new stats in her book, Fira realized that the Lions were now in competition to be third among the gangs. 'Things are going to be interesting for a while,' she thought with a smirk.

She balanced herself carefully on the branch as she stood up. Tonight's fun was over, so it was time to get home. Putting her notebook and pen in her jacket's pocket, she jumped from the branch into the bushes below. After briefly checking her outfit, she stepped out onto the path.

If anyone had been in the area, they wouldn't have seen a young woman step out from the bushes; instead, they would have seen a young man. Fira was dressed in a loose black t-shirt, over which she wore a black leather jacket, loose black jeans, and boots. With her hair stuffed underneath a baseball cap, she looked like any typical guy.

She strode down the path, taking care to curb the natural movements of her hips. No matter how much she practiced walking like a guy, unless she concentrated, her hips would not follow her instructions. That was something else that irritated her. As she grumbled about the quirks of fate, Fira casually glanced to the side, taking in the path behind her.

Sure enough, the Cadres were following. She grinned, knowing what was about to happen. That was why she had deliberately chosen to walk through their normal hunting grounds. She turned to face them.

Kurt, their leader, swaggered out of the middle of the group and strode towards her. Fira suppressed a snigger and kept her face impassive. Kurt had an exaggerated sense of his own importance, especially in light of the fact that his gang was low-man in the gang hierarchy. The Cadres had always been a mediocre gang at best, and due to lack of recruits and challenges had stagnated. Seeing as they couldn't challenge anyone at this point and win, they had taken to bullying to while away the time until they disappeared entirely. Unless some miracle saved them, which was highly unlikely. Fira found their fate quite amusing; plus it gave her someone to "play" with.

Kurt stopped a few feet away from her. She just stared at him, waiting for the challenge to come. Normally, Kurt expected his opponent to start the conversation, but Fira wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. Finally he stated, "Boy."

"What?" she drawled. Fira allowed some of her boredom to show, hoping to speed the process up a little.

It didn't faze Kurt though. "You're in our turf. So you have to pay a toll." He smirked as he said this.

"I wasn't aware that this area belonged to anybody," she said in a bored tone as she shifted into a loose fighting position. Seeing as he was about to continue challenging her, she decided to take matters into her own hands and rile them up a little. "Especially to a weak, pathetic gang like you all," she finished.

Kurt's eyes narrowed in anger at that insult. "So you're not going to pay, huh?" Fira just smirked at him. "Fine." He snapped his fingers and stepped back as his boys rushed forward.

Counting quickly, Fira found that Kurt only had part of his gang out. And, to top it off, it was the six weakest fighters! Obviously, he had thought she was an easy target. 'Well, let's prove him wrong,' she thought. Then the boys reached her.

It was good to be fighting, for Fira at least. The boys weren't having that good of a time. Fira's punches and kicks were hitting all their marks, but the boys' weren't. Even when a couple of them grabbed her arms, she had managed to not only knock out the third one who had tried to punch her, she had slipped out of their grasp and had knocked out one of the before either could realize what was happening. Her blood was rushing, the adrenaline was pumping, and she was loving every minute of it.

Suddenly, the still conscious gang members stopped fighting and pulled back, eyes wide in fear. Fira panted slightly, wondering what caused them to retreat like that. True, she had knocked out two—no, make that three now—of their guys, but that hadn't scared them yet. So what had just happened?

"Cowards," a voice hissed from behind her. She stiffened in shock, having not sensed anyone come up. The stranger continued, "No one of honor gangs up on a single fighter like that." She saw a flash of silver light as the person pointed at the gang with some kind of sword. "I want you all gone before I decide to kill you." The boys scrambled to leave, dragging their fallen comrades with them, and leaving their esteemed leader behind. Kurt sneered at the stranger, who only said, "Don't give me an excuse to kill you, Kurt. I don't need much of one." The person advanced a little, at which point, Kurt took off running. The stranger laughed unpleasantly.

By this time, Fira had her breath back under control, so she turned to face her "rescuer." "I was handling the situation!" she snarled.

The stranger turned slowly towards her. Fira sighed mentally as she raised her eyes slightly to meet his. Why did everyone have to be taller than her? True, this guy was only a few inches taller than her—she barely clearing five foot—but it was still annoying. However, she was having trouble breaking eye contact. Despite her better judgment, his eyes simply captivated her, and she couldn't help but stare. They were red, a ruby red that seemed to have blood spilled on top of it, the fresh blood of an enemy. Reluctantly, she looked away to see if her suspicions about who the man was were correct.

His blue-black hair defied gravity in spiky style that was slightly swept back and had a distinctive white starburst in the front. A bandana covered his forehead and, it was said, possibly something else. She was correct: this was Hiei, a member of the Tōshi gang, which was the strongest gang on the streets, despite only having four main fighters. Hiei was considered the second strongest fighter on the streets, second only to Yusuke, the leader of the Tōshi. Instinctively, she took a step back, knowing that starting a fight with him would be reckless.

"Why are you spying on the gangs?" Hiei growled at her.

Fira blinked in surprise. She had been unaware that someone was watching her. Quickly, she recovered and snapped back, "It's none of your business."

His eyes flashed from some unknown emotion. Fira couldn't place it. The closest she came was interest. "I believe I'm going to make it my business, Fira," he stated. As she stared at him in shock from his knowing who she was, he narrowed his eyes almost as if something else had caught his attention. "But not now," he finished slowly. With that, he seemed to disappear before her eyes, leaving Fira still standing in shock. Had she actually confronted the infamous Hiei Jaganshi?

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Well, it's longer than the original, but I think it's better. So do you guys like it or not? Well, R&R, and tell me what you think of my C-2 idea. 


	2. Chapter Two: School Fun

Well, I got the next chapter done finally! Sorry it took so long. Between school starting again and Fira not cooperating (Fira: Not my fault this is a stupid story. Me: Stop arguing with me!), it took a while. But I got Fira to cooperate and yay for weekends!

Anyway thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you all are liking it. For those of you who preferred the original, I would've continued it if I could've, but FFN removed it and shut my account down once already. I don't want to push it. I was also told that Fira seemed a little cliched or stereotypical in the first chapter, but I'm hoping this nextchapter smooths her out into her own character.

Also, the link didn't fully appear for my C2, so here it is again: **www. fanfiction. net/ c2/ 9713/ 0/ 1**. You're going to have to take the extra spacings out, and I apologize for that. But it won't work any other way. You might recognize some stories in there...

**Disclaimer**: See chapter one. Only thing I'll add is that any resemblence to a real gang in my fic is totally coincidental.

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**Gangs and Demons**

Chapter Two: School Fun

The alarm rang obnoxiously, rousing Fira from her sleep. "Damn that clock," she muttered, groping blindly for the snooze button. Failing to find it, she hurled the thing to the farthest corner in the room, an action which caused the plug to rip from the outlet, effectively turning the clock off. However, the crash of the clock hitting the wall woke her even more than the alarm had. Her father called up, "Fira, what on earth are you doing in there?"

"Nothing, Dad! My clock just…fell," she called back.

"Alright, hon," was his reply after a brief pause. "You better be getting up. Your bus will be here soon."

"I know," Fira groaned. "I'll be out in a sec." Then she buried her head into her pillow. She didn't dislike school—in an academic sense. It was the social side which caused her to balk at the idea of attending. All girls were expected to be weak, submissive, and under the protection of a gang. Those who tried to be strong in their own right found themselves the brunt of fierce fights—both physical and verbal. It was the only time the gangs ever worked together.

As Fira dug through her closet for an outfit, she saw a simple black t-shirt with a red dragon design on it. She smiled slightly as she remembered who had given the shirt to her. Krista had given it to her, but at a time when she had called herself Kris. She had moved into the area a year ago and had refused to conform. Fira had befriended Kris, and despite Fira's own aspirations, she had tried to get Kris to hide her strength. Kris had refused though. The boys' campaign to force her to conform was brief and cruel. Krista wasn't friends with Fira now. In fact, Krista didn't have any friends outside of the Damasu.

Fira shook the memory from her mind. She couldn't change the past, so why worry about it? You would just worry unnecessarily if you did. But why had all these memories decided to plague her now? She grabbed an outfit while pondering the question. She knew why. Rumor had it that the gangs were tired of seeing her neutral. Someone was going to try to claim her. She had until the end of the school year, and then, she was going to be in a gang, one way or another. She just had to make sure it was as a fighter.

"Fira!" her dad yelled. "You're going to be late! Get down here now!"

"Coming, Dad!" She raced out of her bedroom and into the bathroom. She quickly ran a brush through her hair and pulled the mass back into a loose ponytail. She glanced at how she looked before leaving the bathroom. She was wearing another black outfit, but this one declared her a definite girl. She had on a somewhat form-fitting black top that had a silver fairy on it and black jeans. Fira hated having to dress to convince the gangs she wasn't trying to be strong; she just wasn't interested in any of the guys. Which was why last night worried her a little. What would Hiei do now that he knew her secret?

She ran downstairs, grabbing her book-bag on her way out the door. Her dad was standing on the porch with a breakfast bar in one hand and some money for her lunch in the other. She grabbed the items and gave her dad a brief hug before sprinting to the bus stop, making it there right before the bus did.

Fira could hear the students on the bus whispering even as she stepped on. The Cadres, it seemed, had decided to try and play on everyone's sympathy by telling what had happened last night. However, Fira was hearing gloating, not sympathy, from the kids. What was funny though, were all the different descriptions of the person who defeated Kurt's gang. Some were saying it was a karate master who had done it. Others said it was seven foot tall man with bulging muscles. But all were thankful to the strange boy who had defeated six—well, some were saying the entire—of the gang, for the Cadres were now in hiding, licking their wounds. Yet, it was interesting to note that there was no mention of Hiei. 'Guess Kurt decided it was better to be defeated by one fighter than to admit to turning tail and running,' Fira surmised.

As the bus continued its route, Fira tuned out the conversations around her and considered last night's events. The only thing that worried her was Hiei's response. She knew he wasn't going to give up just because she had stood up to him. If anything, it would just cause him to continue. She didn't want her freedom taken away yet; she still had a few months left. 'And I can't stop it from happening,' Fira grumbled to herself. 'It's like trying to stop a truck—or a dream.' Turning her head to look out the window, she recalled the strange dream from which she had awoken this morning.

It had been dark there, wherever there was. It was the dark of a moonless night when the power had gone out. The dark of an unlit alleyway, even. Fira had wandered in the dark for what seemed an eternity. Finally she had shouted, "Is anyone out there?" It had echoed endlessly in the silence of the void.

To her surprise, a voice had answered her—a deep, rumbling voice that seemed like the passing of the subway underneath her. "This is what your life will seem like if you join a gang as you desire to."

Fira had barked a laugh. "I seriously doubt that. Personally, this seems more like how my life is now!"

"This will be your life," the voice had repeated.

"It won't be!"

"Your life and everything you hold dear will be consumed in this darkness."

"I will fight! I'll spend the rest of my life fight if need be!"

"Fine," a more familiar voice growled. Fira was only mildly surprised when she turned around and saw Hiei coming at her, his katana drawn.

'But what does it mean? True, dreams are just random neurons in the brain being fired off in REM sleep, but that dream seemed…planned. So the question is, why?' It was all Fira thought about for the rest of the ride to school.

The normal noise and excitement greeted Fira as she stepped into the school. With practiced ease, she navigated the crowded hallways, stopping only when one of the school's gangs walked by. It was easy to tell who was a member of what gang, since most of the gangs had its own colors. Fira saw the blue of the Lions, the red of the Cougars, and the orange of the Bachi. However, there were a few gangs in the city where you just had to know who was in it. Fira glanced around the hall for any of the members of the Tōshi. They preferred blending in with the crowd, even though it meant wearing neutral colors like she was wearing. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see any of them.

She hurried across the hall to her locker after a group of the Bachi passed, unchecked as usual. Most people, including teachers, feared the gangs, so Fira had to play that way too. Never mind that the boys who had just passed were junior members of the gang. 'Oh well,' she thought. 'Someday I won't have to hide and act like this.'

Fira attempted to open her locker. It refused. She tried again. And again. And again. The thing mocked her by staying closed. By her sixth attempt, she was on the verge of dismantling the locker and selling the pieces for scrap metal. "Stupid thing," Fira muttered.

"Let me," someone said. Fira moved to the side quickly before the person gave the stubborn thing a swift kick. The locker popped open.

"Thanks," she said as she started transferring books from her locker into her book-bag. When she finished, she found, to her surprise, that her helper hadn't left. Most people didn't want much to do with her since she was unaffiliated with any gang. She looked to the right and saw black boots, loose black pants, hem of a black cape… 'Damn,' Fira growled mentally. 'This had to happen.' Out loud she ground out, "Can I help you, Hiei?"

Hiei smirked. "That's no way to treat someone who's helped you."

It took everything within Fira to keep her from snarling at him. "I never asked for anybody's help." Even as she spat this out, she winced mentally. She was provoking Hiei. So much for staying anonymous.

Knowing this, she wasn't surprised when she found herself against the lockers, feet off the floor and his hand around her throat. A few students passed by, most not even glancing at the scene as they walked on. Fira struggled to get out of Hiei's grasp, glaring at him the entire time. She kicked. She pushed. She punched. His smirk just deepened at her attempts. Then he tightened his grip on her neck. Fira swore silently as her windpipe was constricted. Her breath was quicker and shallower. She continued to struggle. It was lessened, though, due to the lack of oxygen.

"Not so tough now, are we?" Hiei said mockingly.

"Fuck you," she hissed between breaths. She grabbed at his hand and tugged at it to get him to let go.

"Temper," he warned lightly. His eyes narrowed slightly, however. "Now why have you been spying on the gangs? Trying to figure out which one would be best to protect you?" He sneered at this last part.

She just stared at him, refusing to answer. How long they stood like that eluded her. It seemed like an eternity staring at his blood red eyes. She wanted to look away, but that would be admitting defeat. So neither blinked or looked away; neither backed down from their declared stance. It wasn't until another person placed his hand on Hiei's arm that either looked away from the other.

Fira glanced to her left to see who it was that had interrupted their challenge. It was Kurama, the strategist of the Tōshi. Her eyes widened slightly. What was he doing here? "Hiei," Kurama said mildly. "Let go of Fira."

Fira's eyes widened even more at this. 'How does he know my name? Is it because of the rumor mill?'

"Why should I?" Hiei was saying. He did loosen his grip though. Fira took a couple of deep breaths to bring her respiratory system back to normal. Meanwhile, the tardy bell for homeroom rang. Fira flinched. So much for never being late to a class. Hiei noticed her movement and returned his attention to her. "What I do with this girl is none of you concern, Kurama," he finished.

Kurama frowned at this reply. "Hiei, quit playing. She doesn't deserve it. Besides, we need to go." Kurama lowered his voice. "The Urami are on the move. Yusuke's called a meeting so we can be ready for them."

"Hn." Kurama's frown deepened. "Fine. I'm coming." Kurama nodded and walked off, flashing Fira a smile before leaving. As soon as he had left, however, Hiei slammed her against the lockers again and had a strangle hold around her throat. She gasped for air. "As for you," he growled as he leaned in next to her ear, "you _will_ meet me in the park directly after school. Or else." He shoved her against the lockers again. Then he dropped her and stalked off the way Kurama had gone.

Fira picked herself off the floor and rubbed her neck slowly. She scowled at his back before it disappeared around the corner. As she grabbed her book-bag off the floor, she pulled her stats notebook our of the side pocket where it had been stored. She kicked her locker closed and walked slowly to her homeroom, writing hurriedly that the Urami, the Toguro brothers' gang and the Tōshi's archrivals, were finally on the move.

But that fact didn't cross her mind for the rest of the day. Hiei's threat did. And, strangely, she could still feel his breath on her ear.

'What the hell does he want with me?!'

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It's even longer than the first chapter! Wow. Anyway, I'm hoping that all of this makes more sense than in the original version, or at least seems to flow better. Well, R&R! And check out my C2! 


	3. Chapter Three: Complications

Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long to update, but between school work, extracurricular activities, writer's block, and my own laziness, things happen. But thanks to everyone who reviewed and to those of you who pestered me to get back to work on this! I needed to boost. Anyway, quick note on this chapter: I'm not happy with it. So I'm going to rework it and retype it while I'm at work. So it will be changed eventually. Also, do not expect a new chapter until August. I'm not going to be home and I have no internet where I'm going. So the rewrite of this chapter and the next will be coming then. And thanks to my betas Rahenne and amberthefool, despite the limited use a beta can have in this case. But you guys are great help with this story!

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**Gangs and Demons**

Chapter Three: Complications

Fira resisted the urge to bang her head against the locker. Things were bad enough without her adding to it. School had ended, which was a blessing, but everyone now knew about the episode between her and Hiei. And if her fellow students hadn't avoided her before for being one of the only neutral girls, they avoided her like the plague now that Hiei had singled her out.

"Damn it all," she growled under her breath. She threw her unnecessary books and binders into her locker. Every single one of them hit the back of the locker with a loud thud that sounded like someone hitting another. Fira ignored it, seeing how it matched her current mood. She just wanted out of this hell-hole.

"You're going to destroy that locker one day," a girl's voice said. Fira looked up from where she knelt to see her friend Amber. Amber was unlike most girls who moved into the area. She had always wanted to be protected by someone. That had annoyed Fira at first, but then she found that Amber knew she'd never be able to protect herself. However, Amber didn't allow that to stop her from doing what she wanted—like befriending Fira. Fira supposed if that was the life Amber truly wanted, then Fira was going to do nothing to stop her.

"If I get lucky, maybe I'll destroy it today," Fira said to Amber. She continued to toss books into her locker.

Amber laughed. "Whatever you want, I guess. But why didn't you tell me!"

Fira stood up and slammed her locker shut. "Tell you what?" If she was lucky, Amber wouldn't say it….

"That you and Hiei are going out!" No such luck.

Fira laughed sardonically. "Me? Dating Hiei? Not likely."

"Then why did he stop you at your locker today?"

"He was fucking attacking me, Amber! If you're going to listen to the rumor mill, at least learn how to pull the truth out of the gossip!" Fira stormed off.

Amber ran to catch up with her. "Geez! I'm sorry, okay? I just thought…."  
"Don't worry about it," Fira interrupted. "Just one thing. How many people think I'm dating him now?"

Amber looked a little sheepish. "Not many, but I mentioned the possibility to Charles."

"Shit! You go and tell him otherwise. I don't need the Bachi on my case as well!" Fira swore for a few moments, ignoring Amber and everyone else around her. Then she turned to Amber and said, "You tell that boyfriend of yours nothing's going on between me and Hiei, understand?"

"Yeah, I got it. I'll tell him. But you know" Amber smiled slyly at this point, "you two would make a great couple."

"Amber, if it weren't for the fact you're one of my few friends, and that I'm about to miss my bus, I would kill you now." She grinned at her friend. Amber smiled back warily. "But like I said, I've got to catch my bus, so I'll see you later." Fira walked out of the building, waving back to her friend as she did.

The bus ride home was quiet. Uncommonly quiet. Nobody talked or whispered; they kept glancing back at her like she was a serial killer or a mugger. Even the few gang members were looking at her strangely. Fira tried to ignore it, but it was unnerving how her confrontation with Hiei had made everybody react. Obviously, Amber wasn't the only one who suspected deeper meaning to the encounter. Fira growled in annoyance. The whole system was crazy! A girl couldn't even get into an argument without everyone considering "deeper meanings."

She got off the bus several stops early. Better to walk home than continue riding the bus. The walk afforded her time to consider the dilemma she was now in without having people stare at her. Should she go meet Hiei or not?

'Well, on the one hand,' Fira thought, 'if I don't go it'll show a passive strength through my non-obedient behavior. On the other hand, it could be taken that I'm a coward. Or it could be viewed that I'm not following the norm. But Hiei may decide to press the issue…which means he'll probably chase me down wherever I go. And I really don't want that. Then again, if I do go, I may be forced to give up my stats book, which I don't want to occur even if it would be worthless to him. If I don't go, I don't run that risk.'

She ran up the steps to and into the townhouse where she and her dad lived, her good mood restored. She didn't have to go meet Hiei if she didn't want to, and, frankly, she didn't want to. After taking her shoes off in the foyer, she went upstairs into the kitchen. She rummaged through the cabinets and fridge in an attempt to find some food, but instead found a note from her dad saying that he'd be home late due to work, so she needn't worry about him for dinner. "Yeah, Dad. Work," she snorted as she read the note. "More like another date you're trying to hide from me. Whatever." Fira tossed the note into the trash before leaving the kitchen to head into her room, abandoning her search for food.

She dropped her book bag at the foot of her bed and flopped onto the bed, burying her face into her pillow. A nap sounded really good right now. Just a quick hour nap…

Fira woke with a start. Something felt wrong. What was it? She glanced around her darkened room. Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing that is…except the sun. "Damn it! I overslept!" She scrambled to disengage herself from her blankets. That effort resulted in her crashing unceremoniously to the floor. "Note to self: burn those sheets later."

She picked herself out of the heap on the floor and tossed the school clothes she had been wearing into the laundry basket. Tonight was another night to watch the rising powers of the street and she had to be inconspicuous. She began to pull on her evening outfit. Tonight she was wearing a pair of loose dark jeans and a large blue long-sleeved shirt with a blue dragon pattern on it. The entire outfit was baggy enough to hide her few curves. She tied her hair into a loose bun which she covered with a baseball cap. As she left the room, she grabbed her notebook and stuffed it into one of her pants' pockets.

Entering the kitchen, she scrawled a quick note to her dad saying she'd gone out for a walk and would be back late. She then dug out a sandwich that was hiding in the fridge and proceeded to run down the stairs and out the door, making sure to lock it behind her and hide the key.

The streets were busy with the evening traffic. Car horns honked. Tires squealed. People rushed by, uncaring, to unknown places. Local gang section watched from side alleys. The city's music filled Fira, and, confidently, she entered the melody.

She threaded her way down the street, avoiding the gaze of the various gangs. She was uninterested in engaging in a fight at the moment, and she had no intention of being followed. Again. Assuming that was what Hiei had been doing. But that wasn't her concern right now. If she remembered correctly, the Akuma were going against the Yuko for more territory. Considering they were equal in strength the last time she saw either of them fight, it would be interesting to see.

Ten minutes later, she was cutting across the park. It was full of sightseeing families, couples, and the occasional worker taking a shortcut to or from work. Fira traveled on the edge of the groups of people, skirting along not only society but also the edge of the only bit of untamed wilderness within the park. Once again, she had no desire to start of fight—especially one of the magnitude that would occur if she entered there uninvited. Everyone understood this—told or untold.

The fight was to be next to a parking garage on the far side of the park. There was a small construction site there which most of the gangs favored as a neutral fighting ground. Fira liked it when the gangs fought there because then she could sneak into the parking garage and watch from a higher vantage point. Tonight she was planning on heading to the third floor since both gangs were on the larger scale in membership. The third floor would keep her close enough to see the actual fighting but far enough to view the strategies and any sneak attacks.

Arriving a little early, she was surprised to see no one there. Usually there would be at least a scout there. Instead she saw an empty lot and had the incredible feeling that something was incredibly wrong.

Just as she was about to leave, somebody grabbed her. She grabbed the person's arm in an attempt to throw them. The person just chuckled and reversed the momentum. She crashed into a concrete post. Fira groaned as she picked herself up slowly. Her back smarted from the impact. She lifted her head slightly to see who it was that had thrown her. Only to lower it agitation. It was Hiei.

"I thought I told you to come to the park directly after school," he said, moving towards her.

Her head snapped up in defiance. "It wasn't in my best interest to come. Besides, I don't answer to you."

"Oh really?"He was scant inches from her. "All girls are under male guidance. Didn't you know that?"

She raised an eyebrow at that statement before calmly spitting at his feet. He in return raised an eyebrow. "Hn. You know who I am, yet you still defy me?" She just stared at him. He shrugged. "No matter. Now once again," he grabbed Fira's shirt, "why are you watching the gangs and what is in that book?"

"That is what I would like to know as well," a new voice called from the shadows. Hiei glanced behind his shoulder and growled, releasing his grip on her shirt. Fira began to move slowly towards her best exit route. Instinct told her that she didn't want to be around here any longer than need be.

"Get out of here, Toguro," Hiei was saying. "You've got no business here."

'Oh shit!' Fira screamed in her mind. 'The Urami's after me too!' She began to move faster.

The younger Toguro moved out into the light. Towering over Hiei and Fira, he should have been imposing. However, neither was truly intimidated. Fira merely looked him over before deciding to take a chance and sprint for the stairs. If she could get down them, she'd be home free.

"It seems our friend is trying to leave," Toguro said. "Boys, make sure she doesn't leave while I take care of this uninvited guest." Fira could hear Hiei chuckle in response to that statement.

She ran a few more feet before stopping in the middle of a patch of light. She could hear Toguro's lackeys moving around her. 'At least this won't be a total waste of time,' she thought as she got into a defensive position.

The fools obviously hadn't been told she knew how to fight. One guy walked towards her, a cocky grin on his face. "Hey doll, just come with us, and I'll take care of you," he said. She seemingly lowered her defenses to give him a simpering smile and walk slowly toward him. His grin deepened and he gave a quick glance to his buddies behind him. So he never saw the kick to his groin. He only got a quick glance at the fist to his temple that knocked him out.

Fira smirked. "Who's next?" she said. Seven more boys came forward. Except for directly behind her, where the edge of the garage was, they had her surrounded. She smiled in anticipation. This was going to be fun. That was when the boys attacked.

It was a harder fight than the one she had fought with the Cadres. She delivered punches and kicks sparingly. Ducking and dodging were more valuable in this fight. She weaved among the boys, avoiding their attacks. Her plan was to wear them out as fast as she could. When one was finally tired enough, she would put them out of their misery. Then she would have one less to worry about.

However, they picked up on her strategy after she'd lessened their numbers by two. Two of the boys ran up to grab her. She dodged them. A third took his chance and grabbed her arms. She went limp. He let go slightly in surprise, allowing her the opportunity to throw him. The first two came back and tried again. This time she kicked both of them. The final three got into the act, rushing her. She tried to duck through the small hole two of them had created. It didn't work.

Two of the three grabbed her arms. She struggled to break free, only causing the two hold her to tighten their grips. She winced inwardly at the brief pain that flashed up her arms. As she continued to struggle, the third pulled out a knife. "Now," he said, "you're going to come with us quietly. He was trying to sound menacing, but was breathing so hard, that it didn't work.

"Ain't happening," Fira replied, kicking at him.

"Bad move," the boy said, stepping back up to her. He grinned suddenly. "Let's see what's under that shirt of yours, shall we?" He cut diagonally down her shirt, from her left shoulder to her right hip. However, due to her struggling, he misjudged the amount of pressure needed. Fira screamed as he cut into her skin. That was when the two boys dropped her. Her head hit the floor before she could brace herself for the impact.

As she began to black out, she felt someone pick her up from the floor and Hiei's voice saying, "You're going to regret that." She passed out at that point.

* * *

Ok...all done. Don't like the ending...sigh Oh well, it'll be fixed. Leave a review and let me know what you think! 


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